Warriors: The Return
by Grayfeather of RiverClan
Summary: Skykit, the daughter of Lilyheart and Dewfrost, is destined along with other cats to fulfill a prophecy that will change the history of the lake forever.
1. Allegiances

ALLEGIANCES

**THUNDERCLAN**

LEADER** BRAMBLESTAR—**dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes (109 moons)

DEPUTY** LIONBLAZE—**golden tabby tom with amber eyes (72 moons)

MEDICINE CAT** JAYFEATHER—**gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes (72 moons)

** APPRENTICE, BRIARPAW**

WARRIORS (toms and she-cats without kits)

** BERRYNOSE—**cream-colored tom with a stumpy tail and amber eyes (77 moons)

** POPPYFROST—**tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with blue eyes (75 moons)

** CINDERHEART—**smoky-gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes (75 moons)

** TIGERHEART—**dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes; formerly of ShadowClan (62 moons)

** BLOSSOMFALL—**tortoiseshell she-cat with leaf-shaped white patches and green eyes (56 moons)

** BUMBLESTRIPE—**very pale gray tabby tom with black stripes and green eyes (56 moons)

** DOVEWING—**pale gray she-cat with blue eyes (52 moons)

** APPRENTICE, WHISKERPAW**

** IVYPOOL—**silver tabby-and-white she-cat with dark blue eyes (52 moons)

** APPRENTICE, WILLOWPAW**

** MOLEWHISKER—**brown-and-cream tom with amber eyes (46 moons)

** CHERRYFALL**—fluffy, ginger she-cat with amber eyes (46 moons)

** STORMCLOUD—**gray tabby tom with blue eyes (39 moons)

** AMBERSHINE—**pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes (32 moons)

** DEWFROST—**gray-and-white tom with amber eyes (32 moons)

** HOLLYFUR—**black she-cat with green eyes (23 moons)

** FERNCLAW—**pale gray tom with green eyes (23 moons)

** DUSTFUR—**dark brown tom with amber eyes (15 moons)

** MAPLEFLIGHT—**dark ginger she-cat with green eyes and white paws (15 moons)

** BEESTRIPE—**gray tabby tom with black stripes and blue eyes (14 moons)

** SMOKEFOOT—**black tom with green eyes (14 moons)

** FLAMEPELT—**dark ginger tom with blue eyes (12 moons)

** TAWNYFUR—**tawny-colored she-cat with green eyes (12 moons)

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

** BRIARPAW—**light brown she-cat with amber eyes (14 moons)

** WHISKERPAW—**black-and-white tom with long whiskers and blue eyes (10 moons)

** WILLOWPAW—**pale gray she-cat with blue eyes (10 moons)

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

** ROSEPETAL—**dark cream-colored she-cat with green eyes (61 moons)

** LILYHEART—**dark brown tabby she-cat with white patches and blue eyes (mother of Dewfrost's kits: Mintkit, Deerkit, Leafkit, and Skykit) (35 moons)

KITS (less than six moons old, too young to hunt or fight)

** MINTKIT—**pale gray, almost white, tom with green eyes (1 moon)

** DEERKIT—**brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and paws and amber eyes (1 moon)

** LEAFKIT—**dark gray-and-white tom with amber eyes (1 moon)

** SKYKIT—**brown she-cat with green eyes (1 moon)

ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired)

** SQUIRRELFLIGHT—**dark ginger she-cat with one white paw and green eyes (89 moons)

** WHITEWING—**snowy-white she-cat with green eyes (90 moons)

** BIRCHFALL—**light brown tabby tom with amber eyes (81 moons)

Family Tree:

Bramblestar and Squirrelflight are the foster parents of Lionblaze and Jayfeather and are the parents of Dustfur and Mapleflight

Lionblaze is the mate of Cinderheart and the father of Hollyfur, Fernclaw, and (_Sorrelfoot, who died of a lump)_

Berrynose is the mate of Poppyfrost and the father of Molewhisker and Cherryfall

Poppyfrost is the sister of Cinderheart and Lilyheart

Tigerheart is the mate of Dovewing and the father of Flamepelt and Tawnyfur

Bumblestripe is the mate of Rosepetal and the father of Beestripe and _(Larchkit, who was killed by a fox)_

Blossomfall _(was the mate of Mousewhisker, who died in a huge battle with WindClan, and)_ is the mother of Briarpaw, Smokefoot, and _(Swiftkit, who was killed by the same fox as Larchkit)_

Dovewing is the daughter of Birchfall and Whitewing

Ivypool is the sister of Dovewing

Molewhisker is the mate of Ambershine

Cherryfall is the mate of Stormcloud and the mother of Whiskerpaw and Willowpaw

Ambershine is the sister of Whitewing, Dewfrost, and _(Snowclaw, who died during the same battle as Mousewhisker)_

Dewfrost is the mate of Lilyheart and the father of Mintkit, Deerkit, Leafkit, and Skykit


	2. Prologue

The full moon glowed down from the dark, starlit sky. The world had turned silver with its bright, white light, and it illuminated the lake. The vast expanse of water was dancing with rippling waves of light, and it reflected off of the cats' pelts as they padded along the shore. Their paws barely grazed the pebbly shore as they were on enemy territory, and there were high tensions running between that enemy and the group. A dark brown tabby tom led his Clan three fox-lengths from the shore as that was the accepted rules. Although, Bramblestar kept glancing back towards the rolling hills that could hide any enemy at any time.

_Why is Harestar being a total pain in the tail?_ Bramblestar thought. The former WindClan leader, Onestar, had died during the past leaf-bare due to greencough. Bramblestar was sad to see the old leader pass on to StarClan because every time he saw the light brown tabby, he was reminded of Firestar and their friendship that had once burned.

A cool breeze blew around the cats, and Bramblestar relished in the happy feeling of being full and warm. Purdy, Brackenfur, Thornclaw, Briarlight, Sandstorm, Leafpool, Spiderleg, Swiftkit, Larchkit, Graystripe, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Daisy, Sorrelfoot, and Millie, these were the cats that Bramblestar had lost in the eight seasons since the flood. Most of them died happily in their sleep, except for Leafpool, who was murdered by a fox. The fact that the medicine cat was gone always struck Bramblestar. He always expected her to be right next to Squirrelflight or busy fiddling with herbs with Jayfeather. Thornclaw and Briarlight had died of greencough in the leaf-bare after the flood, Thornclaw was old, injured, and sick and he had no chance of surviving according to Jayfeather. And Briarlight tried and tried, but without being able to clear her lungs, the disease took her to StarClan, and Bramblestar knew that Jayfeather had become very lonely after losing both Briarlight and Leafpool.

Spiderleg had fought valiantly in a fight against the group of foxes that were terrorizing ThunderClan, but to no avail, he lost his life in the perilous fight. Swiftkit, the son of Blossomfall and Mousewhisker, and Larchkit, the daughter of Rosepetal and Bumblestripe, were killed by foxes in the nursery. The only cats in camp were Jayfeather, Lilyheart and Dewfrost, and Lilyheart was feeling dizzy so Dewfrost was distracted from his duty. While he was looking the other way, a fox, being snake-like, snuck into the camp and killed the kits. Brightheart became very depressed and unhappy after her mate, Cloudtail had passed away, and she died of grief. Daisy and Sorrelfoot died last leaf-bare during a greencough epidemic; Sorrelfoot, one of the kits of Lionblaze and Cinderheart, had gotten a lump in her belly and became very sick. The combination of the lump and the greencough had taken down the young she-cat.

The cawing of a crow that flew through the night sky sucked Bramblestar out of his thoughts. Bramblestar glanced over his shoulder at the cats following him. Tigerheart and Dovewing padded side by side, right behind Bramblestar with Lionblaze and Jayfeather. The two cats had fallen in love, even though they were in different Clans, and after trying so many times to ignore their feelings, Tigerheart left ShadowClan and joined ThunderClan. Now, Dovewing and Tigerheart had two kits that were now warriors: Flamepelt and Tawnyfur. Lionblaze and Jayfeather, Bramblestar's "sons," padded close to Tigerheart and Dovewing, and they were exchanging ideas about WindClan.

"If only I could_ hear_ into their territory I could make sure nothing bad happens," Dovewing grumbled. It had been many, many moons since she had lost her powers, and still the pale gray she-cat found it difficult to cope with not having them.

"I know. It's hard, but you have to live on without it," Tigerheart nudged her shoulder, "You can serve your Clan without special powers, besides, you're extra special to me." Tigerheart's amber eyes flashed with a look of love, and Dovewing returned the look. Bramblestar was happy that his sister's son had found a happy life for himself in ThunderClan.

"So, Jayfeather, how is Briarpaw's training going?" Lionblaze asked his brother. Bramblestar still found it strange how the pale gray tabby could see where you were without actually seeing where you are.

Jayfeather looked directly into his brother's sun-colored eyes and said, "It's going good. She should get her full name within the next two moons, if she continues the great work she's been doing."

Lionblaze nodded his head and meowed, "What do you think her full name should be?"

Jayfeather slowed down and turned his head towards the ground. He whispered something, but Bramblestar was incapable of distinguishing what he had said.

"Jayfeather, I didn't hear you. Is something wrong?" the worry in Bramblestar's one-moon deputy's voice was apparent. Bramblestar stopped in his tracks and faced his son. Even though the truth had come out that Bramblestar wasn't his father, he still was in his heart.

"Jayfeather?" Bramblestar meowed. The Clan was gathering in small groups and gossiping about the ThunderClan's medicine cat. _If WindClan sees us standing here, they'll think something is wrong._ "Jayfeather, we need to keep moving towards the island, is something," Bramblestar was cut off as a loud noise came from the direction of the horseplace. He nodded at Lionblaze to stay with Jayfeather. Bramblestar flicked his tail for Berrynose, Tigerheart, Ivypool, and Molewhisker, four of his senior warriors, to follow him.

The five cats trotted up the slope that led to the gentle fall of the ground towards the lake. What Bramblestar saw shocked him: three yellow twoleg monsters were destroying the horseplace. There were no horses at the horseplace, and Bramblestar wondered what was going on.

"What do you think they're doing?" Tigerheart meowed next to Bramblestar. His sister's son's pelt was almost identical to Bramblestar, and he felt proud that he lived on in so many cats: Tigerheart, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Fernclaw, Hollyfur, Mapleflight, and Dustfur.

"What about Smoky?" Berrynose's worried mew sounded from next to Ivypool, and Bramblestar remembered that the loner was Berrynose's father.

"Molewhisker, go back and tell Lionblaze what is going on. Berrynose and Tigerheart, go to the barn, and see if you can find Smoky and Coriander. Ivypool, you come with me, and we are going to see if the Clans are at the island yet," Bramblestar ordered. The five cats broke up, and Bramblestar and Ivypool tore off towards the island.

The ground slowly sloped downwards, and the grass began to give way to marsh. By the time, the fallen tree was in sight, Bramblestar's paws were muddy and dirty. He jumped up on the tree and was thankful that it hadn't rained in a couple sunrises because if it were wet, he might have fallen off. The scents of WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan hit Bramblestar's nose, and he knew that the other three Clans were already there.

Bramblestar and Ivypool ran into the clearing and almost ran into a ShadowClan she-cat, Grasspelt. They apologized to the brown tabby and weaved their way to where the leaders were, sitting in front of the Great Oak. Harestar, Reedstar, and Rowanstar were huddled in discussion, and Bramblestar was out of breath when they arrived.

"Twolegs are destroying the horseplace!" Ivypool puffed out.

All three of the leader's eyes widened in shock; only Harestar wasn't alive when the twolegs were destroying the forest. Bramblestar could tell that the news brought back horrible memories. Without any words, the three leaders gathered their deputies, Featherwing, Heronwing, and Brindleheart, and followed the two ThunderClan cats back to the slope.

Molewhisker, Lionblaze, Berrynose, and Tigerheart were standing or pacing back and forth next to two cats, a tortoiseshell she-cat, whose belly was swollen, and a blue-gray tom. Bramblestar nodded to Coriander and wondered who the blue-gray tom was. Rowanstar padded over to his son, Tigerheart, and nuzzled his shoulder before turning back to his fellow leaders. "Do you think that they will destroy the rest of the lake?" Rowanstar asked.

Reedstar shrugged his shoulders and meowed, "Who knows? Twolegs are crazy!"

Then, Bramblestar saw a vision of a brown she-cat with green eyes, and he knew exactly who it was. In that instant, he realized that this cat would have a special destiny, and she would be remembered just like Firestar.

* * *

><p>Sunlight shimmered over a clearing and turned everything golden with its blinding light. Trees surrounded the clearing, and vibrant flowers filled the meadow with bright colors. A pool of water sat in the center and reflected the light so that it looked like a giant disc of golden light. Many cats surrounded it, and their pelts were fluffed out and their hackles raised.<p>

"She's only an apprentice, you mouse-brain! How do you expect her to cope with this strenuous journey?" a large white tom yowled at a flame-colored one.

"Excuse me Blackstar, but I was only an apprentice when I made the journey to the sun-drown place. So I don't see why we can't let her go, and WindClan has made their decision," a dark gray tom with eyes the color of jay feathers meowed. He stretched out an almost black paw, and he touched the pool. A sandy-gray image appeared in the pool, and it formed into a cat with brilliant, forest-green eyes, not unlike one of the cats at the pool, a pale ginger she-cat. A black-and-white tom, a light brown tabby, a dark brown tom, and a mottled gray-brown tom all nodded their heads in agreement. Sandstorm knew Tallstar, the black tom, Onestar, the light brown tom, Barkface, the short-tailed tom, but she did not know who the fourth tom was.

"Oh, Crowfeather, you just picked him because he is the son of your son!" a dark brown tom with long fur yowled.

A silver tabby she-cat and a light brown tabby she-cat stepped to Crowfeather's defense. "He can make whatever decision he wants as long as it is good for WindClan, Mudfur," the silver tabby she-cat meowed. The pale she-cat glanced at the light brown tabby and stepped back so that she could speak. Tension filled the air as the three cats moved around each other. The pale ginger she-cat could feel it in the air, so she moved to stand behind her daughter.

"Kin does not matter! Just ask my sister; she raised mine and Crowfeather's kits and she and Bramblestar just have as much right to love them as I do!" the light brown tabby she-cat moved in front of Crowfeather, who stepped back to let the she-cats yell at the former RiverClan medicine cat. "As a father, you should know that you wouldn't want to send your kits or the kits of your kits into a dangerous situation in which they are viable to get harmed."

Mudfur swung his broad head around to look at his daughter, Leopardstar, whom he had had with a she-cat named Brightsky before he had chosen to spend the rest of his life as a medicine cat. "No, I would never want to harm Leopardstar, or Mudkit, or Hailkit, or Pebblekit," Mudfur meowed. "I am truly sorry, Crowfeather, and to you too, Feathertail and Leafpool." All three cats nodded their heads, accepting his apology.

The flame-colored tom, who was being quiet after being verbally attacked by the former ShadowClan leader, stood up from where he sat between a blue-gray she-cat and a light brown tabby, "If we can get back on topic, I would like to nominate another ThunderClan warrior."

"There goes ThunderClan like always thinking that they are so special!" a pale tortoiseshell she-cat yelled from next to the large white tom.

"For StarClan's sake, Tawnypelt, calm down! You should be pleased to know that I am requesting that the son of your son should go," the wise tom meowed and touched his paw to the water as Crowfeather had done. A dark ginger tom with blue eyes appeared in the reflection of the pool. It was easy to tell that the tom and Tawnypelt were kin because they both had lighter fur around their eyes.

"Good choice, Firestar," a dark gray she-cat meowed.

"Thank you, Yellowfang," Firestar meowed, dipping his large flame-colored head. His green eyes met the pale ginger she-cat's gaze across the pool, and the she-cat found love in them. She was so happy that they were finally together again, although she was displeased that their daughter, Leafpool had come so soon after being killed by a fox.

A dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes padded to the pool and looked towards Firestar and Yellowfang, "So the light brown tabby and the dark ginger tom, then?"

"Yes, Raggedstar," Yellowfang replied. The pale ginger she-cat could sense some tension in the air from the two cats and wondered what it was. She glanced at her mate, Firestar, who gave her a look that said, _I'll tell you later_. The she-cat nodded her head and padded forward to sit between Firestar and the blue-gray she-cat, Bluestar.

On the other side of Bluestar sat her daughter, who was half-RiverClan, Mistystar. Bluestar had fallen in love with a RiverClan tom named Oakheart so many moons ago and gave her two kits, Mistykit and Stonekit to Oakheart to be raised in RiverClan so that she could stop an ambitious tom named Thistleclaw from gaining power. Sandstorm shivered and pressed her pale ginger fur against her mate as she realized that if Thistleclaw had become Thistlestar, Firestar—Rusty—might not have been found or let into the Clan.

Sandstorm had so much to thank Bluestar for: Firestar, her amazing young life, her two daughters: Leafpool and Squirrelflight, and all of her descendants: Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, Hollyfur, Fernclaw, Sorrelfoot, Dustfur, and Mapleflight. Almost all of them lived on in ThunderClan with the exception of Hollyleaf, who died in the Great Battle, and Lionblaze's daughter, Sorrelfoot, who died of a sickness that neither Jayfeather nor Briarleaf could heal.

A light brown tabby tom with a crooked jaw stepped forward, "I think that two RiverClan she-cats should go. One will serve as the messenger and the other I can see has a special destiny." He stretched out a pale brown paw and two images appeared, one a dark tortoiseshell and the other, a white she-cat with stormy-gray eyes. Leopardstar nodded her neat golden head in unspoken agreement. Her RiverClan companions, Mudfur, Feathertail, and Mistystar were in agreement as well with the decision that the former RiverClan leader, Crookedstar, had made.

The only two cats who had not spoken at this point were two former ShadowClan medicine cats, a white she-cat and a gray-and-white tom. The she-cat opened her jaws, "Runningnose and I, if it is okay with you three," she flicked her tail towards Raggedstar, Blackstar, and Tawnypelt, "he should accompany the five other cats on this journey to reunite the six Clans for good." Sagewhisker reached down towards the pool with one of her white paws and tapped it lightly. The water rippled across the water's surface, and it formed into the shape of a dark brown tom.

"So we are all in agreement then," Bluestar paused, and Sandstorm glanced around. Raggedstar, Blackstar, Sagewhisker, Runningnose, and Tawnypelt were confident with their decision. Then, Sandstorm glanced at the WindClan cats; Tallstar, the mottled gray-brown tom, Onestar, Crowfeather, and Barkface were in silent agreement. The RiverClan cats, Feathertail, Mudfur, Leopardstar, Crookedstar, and Mistystar were content. Then, Bluestar glanced down at Leafpool, Yellowfang, Firestar, and Sandstorm. None of them spoke up so Bluestar continued, "It is settled then. These six cats will hold the power to reunite the six Clans once more."

Sandstorm glanced at Firestar, and knew that this was going to be the longest journey any Clan cat had faced. The cats would have to go first to the mountains, then to Highstones, then to the remnants of the forest, and finally down the river to the gorge, and all the way back with the whole of SkyClan.


End file.
